Together now always
by Cimriel
Summary: After three long years apart, Kagome and Inuyasha are reunited and finally have a chance to say things that should have been said years before. Companion piece to "I will never let her go." Spoilers for Inuyasha Manga Chapter 558


-1Ok…So I finally did decide to write a sequel/companion piece to my other story "I will never let her go." This time I wrote from Kagome's point of view and wrote about the words I think she and Inuyasha exchanged when they were reunited after three years apart. I really just wanted to elaborate on the final chapter of the manga but I kind of wrote this in a rush. Still…I hope you all enjoy! Please review if you want to.

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For so long this is what I've wanted. For so long this is what I have hoped for, what I had longed to occur. Finally Inuyasha and I were together. Finally he had told me what my ears had craved to hear for so long. Finally I knew nothing would ever keep us apart.

That path we had walked together certainly had not been smooth. In the years we have known each other the two of us have both suffered so much. He had to endure the pain of being torn between duty and happiness while I was tortured by the belief that I hopelessly in love with a boy who could never fully love me back.

Yet amidst our heartache there was still so much joy. The two of us had shared so many sweet moments of lying out under the stairs, playing Janken-po with our friends, or cuddling together next to the roaring fire. He was shy about these moments. I knew that. I could still recall every blush he made whenever we touched, or how embarrassed he'd become when I pointed out his tendency to become jealous…but I never really minded. I knew the two of us had forged an impenetrable bond throughout both the good and painful times we shared. I could feel it every time we stood side by side… me with my arrow in hand and him with his sword extended, both of us ready to take on the world together.

But though I had been ready to fearlessly face anything with him by my side, even Naraku, our most evil and dangerous foe, I was not prepared when our path together unexpectedly diverged and Inuyasha and I were torn apart. The agony I felt when I screamed his name time and time again after I realized the well had closed never left me those three years we were separated. Without a doubt, it was the most painful time of my life.

It seemed so cruel and unfair that we would finally defeat Naraku only to be torn away from one another. Especially after he had worked so hard to save me from the shadows of Shikon no tama, my one light in a sea of darkness. Those times had been the most terrifying of my life, yet the next three years would be nearly as bleak as the days I spent in the cursed sacred stone. It was very difficult to live my life without the brash, rude, yet sweet hanyou I loved so completely.

At first I was angry at him, hurt that he had just left me like that, but after mulling it over for months I finally understood why he had. I knew he had been looking out for me, and had probably thought leaving me in my own time would make me happy in the long run. I knew that he was always putting me first, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

Though I never wanted him to forget me, I frequently prayed he wasn't experiencing the same kind of pain I was during our separation. He had already suffered so much already that I wanted him to be happy, and live the peaceful, content life he so deserved. I hoped he wasn't feeling anymore pain and was reassured by my belief that no matter what, it was impossible that he could ever miss me as much as I missed him.

And I did miss him. So much that I spent most of my time thinking about him. So much, that the well finally reopened after three long years of waiting. The moment it did, I said goodbye to my family and the life I always knew in my own time, ready to start a new one in his. Though I'm not sure what I had been expecting when I eagerly jumped down to the well, I was shocked when I looked up for the first time and saw a hand amidst the backdrop of the Sengoku Period's sky, extending towards me.

Reaching up, I took it in my own and knew it was his instantly. After so many years of shy touches or us linking fingers every now and then, our hands knew each other immediately. My heart instantly began pounding and I could feel myself shaking as his fingers closed around mine as he pulled me up like he had done so many times in the past.

I will never forget the look he gave me when our eyes met, chocolate brown meeting amber gold. His expression was so soft and so filled with emotion. I could see the longing there, the amazement, and the happiness, and could feel his hand tremble as it clutched onto my smaller one.

"Kagome." He said in quiet wonder as he stared at me with such tenderness.

"Inuyasha. I'm sorry." I replied, feeling tears welling up as I was overcome with emotion. "Where you waiting?" I asked, but I already knew the answer. It was clear that he had and I could feel my heart swelling with relief, thankfulness, and love.

A second later, he pulled me into his arms, holding me so tight that it seemed as though he believed I would fade away if his arms slackened even the slightest bit. I slipped my own arms around him and laid my head on against his chest, feeling it beat rapidly against my cheek. It felt so right, so perfect being in his arms that I could not help but to wonder how I had ever been able to live without him before.

"Baka." He said to me after a long moment of peace, in a tone so full of love that it felt like a word of endearment rather than an insult. "What have you been up to?" He asked, and I smiled against his chest. Time may have separated us, but his was obviously still the same hanyou I had come to love so dearly.

I looked up into his eyes and smiled, ready to tell him how much I missed him but before I could hear the familiar voices of my friends behind me. "Kagome! Kagome-chan!"

"Miroku-sama! Sango-chan! Shippou-chan!" I called out in pure delight, overjoyed to see my friends again after so long. "I'm back!" I cried happily while I tried to take a step forward, but Inuyasha's arms were still tight against me, unwilling to let go.

I understood how he felt, since I, too, was eager to be alone with him. I knew we had to discuss what had happened and that I had to tell him I never wanted to be away from him again. But I knew now wasn't the time. I had missed my friends and needed to be with them now too. Still, I wanted him to know we would have our time together so I took his hand in mine and gave it a small squeeze. My heart fluttered in absolute delight when I saw his eyes flicker close at my actions while a serene expression came over his face. He then returned the gesture.

For the next few hours we sat side by side in Miroku and Sango's hut listening to their stories of what they had done since I left. I was thrilled to catch up with them and found myself having the most fun I had in the last three years. I laughed often as Sango told me about her mischievous twins and grinned when Miroku said he hoped that his young son would one day be a successful ladies man. I also felt myself beaming in pride when Shippou eagerly told me he had become an upper senior 7th rank kitsune. It was hard to believe I had missed so much, but I felt so happy at being reunited with my friends that I simply did not care.

Throughout the evening, Inuyasha hardly spoke a word as everyone laughed and joked around. Despite the fact that he did not join in, he seemed so calm and so peaceful the entire time, like all he wanted to do was just soak up the moment. Though we were seated next to each other, the two of us did not touch, yet the tension between us felt so strong I might as well have still been in his arms. Time and time again, I caught him gazing at me with a soft expression, and instantly my cheeks would flame up while I'd give him a small smile. Shippou, Miroku, and Sango all exchanged knowing looks every time this occurred, and seemed delighted by our subtle interactions.

By the time I finally stood up to leave, inwardly knowing it was time to go, the sky was dark and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. But before I left, I gave Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and even Kirara all a huge hug with tears in my eyes and told them how glad I was to be with them now. They seemed so happy too, and I knew how lucky I was to have them back in my life.

Yet no matter how much I missed them and how badly I still wanted to hear all about the last three years, it was time for Inuyasha and I to be alone. There were still so many things for us to discuss, so many words that finally had to be spoken. I could feel my heart fluttering in nervousness and excitement when I left my friend's hut and found he had followed me out…. but I shouldn't have been surprised. He had yet to let me out of his sight since he had found me at the well.

"Kagome." He said quietly to me when we were outside. Though it was night, I could still see his bright gold eyes softly gleaming at me in the darkness.

"Inuyasha." I said with a smile as I slowly slipped my hand in his. I could feel his fingers tighten around mine instantly.

"Will you take a walk with me?" He asked softly, and I gave his hand a squeeze.

"Of course." I told him, and we began walking side by side. I felt so at peace while I was with him that I knew this was exactly where I belonged. Time and time again I felt his flicker towards me while we walked along, gazing at me just like he had in the hut.

Though I wanted to say something about it, I knew he'd be embarrassed if I did so I simply let him led me on in a direction I knew well… towards the Goshinboku. Feeling so completely content, I leaned my head against his shoulder as we walked along and secretly watched his expression. A small thrill instantly went down my spine when I saw him smiling softly at my intimate actions.

"Kagome." He murmered quietly, breaking the silence between us when we finally reached our destination. To my complete and utter shock, he then suddenly pulled me into his arms, and held me once again like he would never let go. "Kagome." He said again, but this time to my puzzlement, I could hear desperation coloring his tone.

"I missed you." I heard him say shakily. "I missed you so much." He said as he pulled me even tighter, pressing my head against his chest so that I couldn't move even if I wanted to. Trembling against me, he then buried his face against my neck and I could hear him breathing in my scent.

"I missed you too, Inuyasha. Every day." I whispered back as I entwined my arms around his neck. I could feel tears beginning to burn at my eyes and we stood there, simply holding each other. While we did, he continued to tremble against me and I knew I was shaking myself.

"You're back though, right?" He asked softly. "You are going to stay here now with me? Forever?" I lifted my head and saw him staring down at me with such love and hope in his eyes that I nearly burst out into sobs. Instead I just laid my head against his chest and nodding, feeling the tears slide down my cheeks.

"Inuyasha." I said with a soft smile as I lifted my hand and laid it against his cheek. His eyes fluttered close serenely as he leaned into my touch. "Didn't I promise I'd always be with you?" I asked.

Suddenly, I could feel him crushing me against him once again, holding me so tight I could barely breathe. "Inuyasha…" I huffed out and I could hear him repeating something over and over again into my neck as he buried his face there once again. After a few seconds, I was stunned when I discovered that the words he was whispering were "I love you Kagome, I love you."

"Inuyasha!" I explained in surprise, and he lifted his head up from my shoulders to meet my eyes. "I love you Kagome." He said again, louder this time. "I….I really really love you." He stuttered, and I could feel myself trembling once more.

"I wanted to say it before.. I wanted to say it for so long." He began to blurt out, talking very quickly and nervously. "But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I didn't know how things would turn out and I was scared. I know I should have said it before. I thought I'd have the chance when we finally killed Naraku. But…but with the Shikon no tama…and I had to let you go. And then well closed…and….and…" He was hardly making any sense at all but it was easy enough to tell what he was trying to say.

"I made a huge mistake!" He said, burying his head against my neck once again. "And for awhile there…I thought I'd never be able to fix it. So I have to say it now. I love you Kagome. I really do." By the end of his rant, his voice had dropped to a mere whisper and he was clearly finding it difficult to look me in the eye.

For awhile, I just stood there, still in his arms, absolutely stunned. For so long I had wanted to hear these words, but I had been so sure it would only happen in my dreams. Knowing this was the greatest moment of my life I closed my eyes, never wanting it to end. Eventually though, I felt Inuyasha begin to stir restlessly and I knew what he was waiting for.

"Inuyasha." I murmured as I softly put my fingertips on his cheeks and slowly began to trace the contours of his face. At my touch, the lids of his eyes fluttered closed as a peaceful, dreamy expression appeared on his face, reminding me of the first time I had seen him when he had been sleeping so serenely.

"I love you, too. And I have for so long." I told him with a gentle smile and saw him softly smile in return. "That's why the well reopened for me. That's why I was able to come back." I told him. "It's because it must have known we were meant to be together….I think it has always known."

As I spoke, his lowered his head so that we were now touching forehead to forehead. "So, you're going to stay here? You really are going to be with me?" He asked so innocently and so full of hope that I felt myself falling even more in love with him.

"Always." I replied, and his lips descended down eagerly upon mine, solidifying the promise I had just made.

From that night on the two of us have been nearly inseparable. Though we have had to part from time to time when he has to live to slay another demon with Miroku, or I have to train with Kaede-sama, the two of us are never away from one another for long. He makes sure of that.

Though the path we have walked down together was not at all smooth and was, at times, filled with pain and heartache, it was worth it all. The suffering we once endured has since then been turned into complete joy. Both of our dreams are finally coming true after so long, all because we are together.

And though we may have suffered through many sudden twists and turns in the past, our path together has seemed to finally straighten out. Yet even if we are forced to face a few more bumps in the road, I know it doesn't matter. Just as I promised, the two of us will be together now always, and that the only thing that is truly important.


End file.
